Resources

SBTC is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization representing small, technology-based companies in diverse fields. Since its inception, SBTC has played a crucial role in providing valuable data and research on the highly successful SBIR Program. In addition to being the lead advocate on the Hill for small-business technology issues, SBTC has built unprecedented support across the federal government for the SBIR program. This resource center provides detailed analysis and critical data on the SBIR program and other key small-business technology issues.

SBIR/STTR PHASE III GUIDEBOOKS

The Navy, the Air Force, and several other military and civilian agencies have released comprehensive guidebooks for Program Managers, Contracting Officers, and Small Business Professionals to help them navigate the SBIR/STTR Phase III process, and answer any questions that may arise about how the Phase III program is designed to operate. We will continue to update this list with any new guidebooks or desk references on SBIR/STTR Phase III contracting as they are released.

2018 White Paper on DOE Cost-Sharing Requirements
This 2018 revision of SBTC’s older white paper outlines the problems and issues small businesses have with meeting DOE’s R&D cost-sharing requirements, and why it is so important to waive these requirements to increase small business participation within DOE’s R&D programs

SBTC SBIR White Paper 2017
SBTC drafted a white paper on SBIR and STTR policy in the beginning of 2017, focusing on the economic impact and benefits of the SBIR/STTR programs.

US Navy SBIR/STTR Economic Impact Study
In 2016 the US Navy conducted a study on the impact the Navy SBIR/STTR Program had on the economy. The final study has not yet been released, but this is the preliminary findings.

US Air Force SBIR/STTR Economic Impact Study
The Air Force completed a comprehensive study in 2015 on the SBIR/STTR Program and the economic outcomes and impacts of all Air Force Phase II SBIR and STTR contracts from 2000 to 2013. Among other findings, the study showed 58% of USAF Phase II contracts resulted in the sales of new products or services based on the technology developed by those contracts. In addition, the study showed that USAF SBIR Phase II contracts led to $24.7 billion in value added to the nation’s economy, and 16,751 jobs per year were created as a result of these contracts.

GAO Rapid Innovation Fund Study
This comprehensive study of the Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) program by the GAO shows that the RIF program has been successful is its brief time in existence, and recommends steps to be taken to strengthen and improve the program.

Letter to Senate Opposing Patent Reform Legislation HR 9
This letter was sent in March 2015 to all Senators asking them to oppose patent reform legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives as HR 9. SBTC believes that this legislation if passed could seriously harm small businesses’ ability to protect their patents in court.

SBTC Phase III Survey ResultsSBTC RIF Survey Results
The results of a survey the SBTC conducted at the end of 2014/beginning of 2015 of SBIR companies asking what issues and obstacles they face in pursuing Phase III contracting. Also included were questions specifically for RIF companies about their experiences with that program.

SBTC Letter to Congress Regarding Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program
A letter sent to the House and Senate Armed Services Committee requesting that they discontinue, or at least reform, the DOD’s Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program (CSP). Our membership believes that this 25 year old pilot program makes it more difficult for small businesses to receive subcontracts from large prime contractors, and that there is no substantive research proving the CSP has any benefit to small business or the DOD.

SBTC Letter of Support to House Regarding TROL Act
A letter to House Speaker Boehner and other members of the House supporting the proposed TROL Act as an effective way to combat patent trolls while protecting small business’s patent rights and intellectual property.

SBIR Primer
This simple 1-page handout describes in layman’s terms what the SBIR program is, how it works, and why it is successful. It is meant to be used as a basic, easy-to-understand handout to congressional staffers and other government officials who aren’t familiar with the SBIR program.

Bob Schmidt HSBC May 21, 2014 Hearing Written Testimony
SBTC Co-Chair Bob Schmidt’s written testimony for the House Small Business Committee Hearing titled “Oversight of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs”. This hearing was focused on investigating the effects that the programmatic changes to the SBIR and STTR programs made by the SBIR Reauthorization Act of 2011 had on the private sector, and how those changes had been implemented by the agencies.

Letter the Senate Outlining SBTC Objections to the Proposed TRANSFER Act
The SBTC sent this letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate Commerce and Small Business Committees outlining our objections with the proposed TRANSFER Act. The TRANSFER Act would redirect 25% of STTR funds (exactly the amount the STTR was increased in the last reauthorization) to create a new, university-only program focused on identifying areas to translating basic research into commercializable research.

Letter to DOD IG regarding Report on SBIR Phase III IP protectionThis letter to the DOD Assistant Investigator General Jacqueline Wicecarver commenting on her March 2014 report into Phase III awards that were made to other than small businesses. The letter highlights several problems with the report, as well as lists a number of issues facing small businesses trying to protect their intellectual property while contracting with the DOD.

Letter to SBA Office of Advocacy regarding Patent ReformThe Small Business Council sent a letter SBA Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant outlining our opposition to HR 3309 and other proposed patent reform legislation that would weaken patent protections and make it proportionately more difficult and onerous for small businesses to legally defend their patents.

Jere Glover’s Senate Roundtable Statement Dec 18, 2013On December 18, 2013, Executive Director Jere Glover testified before a Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee roundtable to discuss the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act two years after it was passed, including what has been accomplished and what still needs to be fixed. This is his submitted statement to the committee.

RIF PaperThis white paper offers a brief overview of the Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) program at the DOD. It covers the history of efforts to generate more commercialization returns from the SBIR program that led to the RIF program, and offers some insight to how the program is working so far.

Phase III Q&AThis document includes a number of commonly asked questions and answers about the government’s SBIR Phase III program. It includes citations and links to the law and policy directives relevant to the questions.

SBTC Sequestration LetterThis is a letter that the SBTC sent to the President, House Speaker, and Senate Majority Leader asking them to safeguard small businesses during the sequestration period and ensure that they aren’t disproportionately targeted for budget cuts

Comments on SBA Data CollectionThe SBTC provided comments on new proposed rules regarding data collection for SBIR companies as mandated by the new SBIR reauthorization law. These comments were submitted for the Federal Register on May 21st.

SBTC DOD White Paper 2012This white paper was drafted by the SBTC to offer recommendations to the DOD for how they can implement changes to the SBIR program as mandated by the new SBIR reauthorizaztion law from the 2012 NDAA.

SBIR Reauthorization Language from NDAAThe section of the conference report of the National Defense Authorization Act that reauthorizes the Small Business Innovation Research program for 6 years.

Small Business Letter to Congressional LeadershipThis letter was sent to House and Senate leaders on December 7, 2011 urging them to include the Senate SBIR reauthorization language in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011. It was signed by 945 small businesses and small business organizations.

Shaheen-Brown SBIR LetterThis is a draft letter from Senators Shaheen and Brown to Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Landrieu, Ranking Member Snowe, House Small Business Committee Chairman Graves, and Ranking Member Velazquez asking them to amend certain sections of the House reauthorization bill, HR 1425, beofre a compromise version of the bill is completed.

Markey, Tsongas, Welch SBIR Letter to Chairman Graves and Ranking Member VelazquezThis bipartisan letter drafted by Representatives Markey, Tsongas, and Welch was signed by 25 members of the House of Representatives. In it, they ask Small Business Committee Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Velazquez to modify the language of SBIR reauthorization bill HR 1425 to fix the section in that legislation that would harm the SBIR program.

Remembering Milt StewartA brief history of former Chief Advocate of Small Business Milton Stewart’s contributions to the creation of the Small Business Innovation Research program, as recalled by the “father” of the SBIR program, Roland Tibbetts.

SBTC Letter of Concerns re HR 1425This is a letter to Chairman Sam Graves of the House Small Business Committee oulining SBTC’s concerns with HR 1425, the SBIR reauthorization act of 2011.

A letter of support drafted by the SBTC for Senator Mary Landrieu’s 1-year continuing resolution of the Small Business Innovation Research Program, signed by 13 small business organizations that collectively represent over 250,000 businesses.

Creating Jobs Through Expanding the STTR ProgramThis paper advocates the increase in the STTR allocation from 0.3% to 2.5% of Federal R&D extramural research expenditures, and argues that this increase can increase high-tech jobs without increasing the budget or deficit.

NRC SBIR Study SummaryThis is a summary of some of the critical findings of the National Research Council’s 2008 study on the effectiveness of the SBIR program. This summary was originally included in Mike Squillante’s March 2011 testimony before the House Committee on Small Business.

Landrieu-Snowe SBIR CompromiseThis document outlines the items in the compromise SBIR legislation crafted by Senators Landrieu and Snowe, as agreed to by the SBTC and BIO organizations. This compromise became foundation for the SBIR reauthorization legislation S 4053.

SBTC White House Recommendations on SBIRIn October several members of the SBTC had a meeting with the White House National Economic Council on the SBIR program, and during the meeting, our organization was requested to draft a list of recommendations for ways the Administration could improve the SBIR program without legislative action. After discussions with several SBTC members, this paper was drafted and presented to the White House.

2010 Milton Stewart Award WinnersA list of the winners of the 2010 Milton Stewart Awards for technology-oriented small business advocacy. Special thanks to The Boeing Corporation for their sponsorship of these awards.

SBTC Letter to Congressman Norm DicksA letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman Norm Dicks commending him for appropriating $604 million to the new Rapid Innovation Program at the DOD, and urging him not to allow the DOD to reallocate that money to other programs.

SBTC Letter to DOD Secretary Robert GatesA Letter from the SBTC to Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates asking him to increase funding to small business in general and the SBIR program in particular as a way of spurring innovation and increasing efficiency within the DOD.

SBIR DOD Phase III RecommendationsA white paper written by SBTC members offering recommendations to the Department of Defense for how the new Rapid Innovation Program can be most effectively implemented.

Where Do Innovations Come FromThis article by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation takes a look at what sectors of the American economy are producing the most technological innovations. Among its findings are that small businesses, and in particular SBIR companies produce a very high percent of the top technological innovations in America, despite receiving a relatively small percent of government R&D funding.

Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has recently proposed a new bill that would provide a tax credit to investors of SBIR award winners, and other qualified small businesses.

DOE Advisory Group Phase III White PaperThe Department of Energy (DOE) Advisory Group, a group of small-business owners with experience working with DOE, has crafted two papers highlighting key issues that need addressing within the DOE.

DOE Advisory Group Cost Sharing White PaperThe second of the two papers devised by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advisory Group, this paper addresses cost-sharing issues within the DOE, its unintended consequences, and how it puts small businesses at a competitive disadvantage to larger businesses.

Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader HoyerThe SBTC has sent a letter to both Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer asking them to continue to oppose Rep Jason Altmire’s attempts to include his SBIR reauthorization bill in the jobs creation package currently being debated in the House.

Pew Report on Public Trust in Government and Small BusinessThe Pew Research Center recently conducted a study that analyzed the level of public trust in the government and the satisfaction with the current economic situation. They found that, while the Federal government and wall street were rated very poorly, small businesses received very high marks from the public, especially tech-oriented firms.

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Testimonials

SBTC is the one organization I have been able to count on to represent the interests of my company on such important issues as reauthorization of the SBIR/STTR Programs, restoration of SBIR funding when agencies try to opt out, and small business patent protection. There are many battles yet to be fought and we need to join forces through SBTC to represent our interests.

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The Small Business Technology Council is a non-partisan, non-profit industry association of companies dedicated to promoting the creation and growth of research-intensive, technology-based U.S. small business.